Italian soup, dumplings a good winter warmer

Although we can't do anything about the cold weather, we can embrace dishes that warm us up.

A big, hot bowl of Italian soup, garnished with homemade dumplings, makes a delightful dinner.

Basically, this is a white bean and vegetable soup flavored with pancetta and garlic. It's thickened by pureeing a few cups of the cooked vegetables and stirring them back into the pot.

The pancetta makes its appearance as a supporting player, not the star of the show. If you'd like, you can swap in bacon instead. (Both meats are cured pork from the belly. The difference? Bacon is smoked. Pancetta is not.) And you're welcome to leave out the pork.

The dumplings are comfort food, and making them is a failsafe proposition. You start with fresh breadcrumbs, which require nothing more intricate than pulsing fresh slices of bread in a food processor. (One slice turns into about ½ cup of crumbs.) Then just combine the crumbs with eggs and Parmigiano-Reggiano. You can roll the "dough" into balls and cook them right away, but the work is easier if you refrigerate for at least 30 minutes beforehand.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Stir in the crumbs, cheese and sage. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Roll into 12 balls.

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon. Leave all the fat in the pan, add the onion, carrot and fennel, and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat, until very lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Add the beans and the chicken broth to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add the dumplings to the pot and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes.

Transfer 2 cups of the solids with a little of the liquid to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the puree to the pan. Add the kale and pancetta and simmer, stirring, until all the greens are wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice; salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into 4 soup bowls and spoon 3 dumplings into each bowl.

485 calories; 160 calories from fat; 18 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 136 mg cholesterol; 727 mg sodium; 51 g carbohydrate; 12 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 27 g protein.